Andrea Bocelli sings out, without accompaniment, the first notes of Radamès' aria, "Celeste Aïda." He sings, "Se quell guerrier io fossi!" "If only that warrior were I!" It is powerful and compelling. Trumpets peal in a royal-sounding tribute, a call to arms. Andrea sings again, "Un esercito di prodi da me guidato, e la vittoria e il plauso." "An army of brave men led by me - victory and applause!" and finally the orchestra joins him. This is no romantic pop singer. I picture a defiant and victorious Radamès lifting his arm over his head, fist clenched, metal cuff flashing. The soft-focus cover of this CD belies the strong warrior. The voice reveals him.

Andrea sings "E per te ho vinto," "I fought, I won for you," and his voice is perfect voice as it drops one full octave on "vinto." Even in the more tender part of the aria, he evidences a determined will. He hits his first wonderful high note during "Ergerti un trono vicino al sol," "A royal throne for you in the sun." He repeats the line, climbing the scale, "Un regal trono vicino al sol." And still higher again, "Un regal trono vicino al sol!" ending in a strong, high B-flat. It's breathtaking!

One critic writing for Amazon.com says, "For `Celeste Aïda'--Radames's great aria from Aida --Bocelli opens with fine, as-big-as-possible exclamation and sounds confident; the long diminuendo on the aria's final high B-flat is stunning (whether or not the engineers were twiddling with the knobs, we'll never know)."

But we do know about Andrea's ability to sing this difficult piece. Andrea sang this over and over in concert this past spring, live, in front of the world's critics. Commenting on Andrea's live performance, James Roos of the Miami Herald (April 3, 2000) said, "Actually, to sing Celesta Aïda the way he did, Bocelli has to possess a sweet, lyric tenor ... plus a ranging top-voice of genuine quality. ...And how many tenors follow Verdi's instructions to sing that climactic B-flat with a true diminuendo -- a fade-out -- as Bocelli did, to his credit?"

Further, we hear from conductor Zubin Mehta. "Andrea's voice is special in many ways," Mehta said. "First of all, he has a complete control from forte to pianissimo on any note. The end of 'Celeste Aida,' he attacks the high B flat full voice and then pulls it down to nothing - hardly anybody can do that... But it's not that we tried it 15 times and he got it once; he can do it every time. He can also, in the middle of a phrase, without breathing, change the color of a note, so it's a conductor's dream to ask and to get it because most people can't do that." (Universal) Mehta also said, "The album of Verdi arias allows the entire world to discover an artist that has the capacity to control every note and to instill emotion in music." (Translated from ANSA, August 31, 2000)

In "Di quella pira" from Il Trovatore, Andrea neatly runs through the sixteenth notes. It is sung with force and determination, not sweetness. Andrea's voice just gallops through its paces like the muscular racehorse, singing "O teco almen corro a morir..." The chorus backs him again and the end is a rousing exchange ending in a powerful ten second high C.

Andrea appreciates the inherent difficulty of the piece. He says, "But there was one [aria] that was a challenge for me from the start. That was 'Di quella pira' from Il Trovatore, an aria that requires 'agilita 'and 'forza' and that I always carefully avoided singing, but which was more or less a must for this album. Consequently, I had to study it, and I worked very hard."

The Boston Globe's Richard Dyer says, "Bocelli's delivery of the sound and intent of his own language is always remarkable... ''Di quella pira'' has a fair amount of punch and panache, and it is very unusual to hear it sung this accurately, and in the original key." (September 8, 2000)

Andrea's affection for this music is evident in every cut. "Verdi's arias ... have intrinsic power and communicate ideas that are eternal. Verdi is much more than a simple romantic. I think his music embraces feelings that go far beyond that." (Universal) "When we speak of Verdi, we speak of a genius that crossed Italian borders in order to conquer the world with the force of emotions. We bring him back to the attention of young people -- medicine in order to hope for a better future for our children." (Translated from ANSA, August 31, 2000)

Andrea's affection for music and recognition of its power underscores his appeal. As he says, "I believe that in a world of confusion, sensationalism and ethical turmoil, classical music can be a pure and wholesome medicine that gives us confidence in a better future for ourselves and for our children." (Universal) His voice communicates all this and more.

Reviewer Edwin Faust explains, "Bocelli pours his heart into his songs in so intense a manner that his music and his personality are fused... when Bocelli sings, all of him sings." (The Press of Atlantic City April 10, 2000)

We fell in love with a romantic pop singer, riding a white horse through the waves. Yet it is a very, very different image we get from this wonderful collection. The Andrea Bocelli I picture is an invincible young king, determined, serving up high note after magnificent high note, rollicking from one octave to another with a warrior's resolve.

The complete articles from which these quotes are taken can be found at the fans' website, bocelli.net.

This new release of the operatic arias of Verdi performed by Italy's sensational tenor Andrea Bocelli with the Israeli Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta is a wonderful tribute to the composer on the 100th anniversary of his death. Bocelli has worked diligently on strengthening and improving his beautiful tenor voice, and numerous critics have noted and praised the results as evidenced on this newest offering by the popular singer. Such beauty and passion! I expecially liked his "Celeste Aida" and hope to see more staged operas by the man to prove to those few but vocal critics that his triumph has nothing to do with the engineers' playing with knobs in the control room! Fantastic! Verdi would be proud of this tribute by his fellow countryman. I would highly recommend this album!

On the other hand, don't waste your money on buying the best of collection "Per Amore". It is nothing more than a collection of material already released produced by the Japanese. There is not one new selection on the entire cd.

Mr Bocelli pleases us yet again. This long awaited CD is beyond my expectations. 'Di tu se fedele' which I have in recordings by others, now gets my attention as never before. I admit to being biased toward this tenor, for somehow he communicates his passion for opera in a way that touches me and causes me to explore the medium with passion too.

A tenor standard is 'Se quel guerrier io fossi!...Celeste Aida', and it is thrilling. His breathtaking control from the fullness of the hi B-flat, to the extended diminuendo seem unbelievable. Having heard him do this live, I know the goosebumps are justified.

He conveys excitement with selections from Il trovatore, Rigoletto and La Traviata and introduced me to 'Io la vidi e il suo sorriso' from Don Carlo. I cant pick one favorite though I do find myself listening to the last three tracks frequently.

Your collection is incomplete without this CD yet, no matter how satisfying a meal each of Bocelli's recordings is, I am hungry for the next serving.

Up until I first heard this beautiful vioce about a year and a half ago,this knd of music was for anybody but me..I have been bitten! His voice just keeps getting better and better..I couldn't wait to get home and listen..I still have goose bumps on my knees! The arrangements are the greatest and Andrea's voice is better than ever, if possible..I eagerly await the next and the next...I listen to very little else..I listen going back and forth to work..Don't see how he can get better but know he will...Beieve this is a must CD for any Andrea lover!!I give it 10 stars...

No doubt there are better, more mature, more technically competent collections of Verdi out there, but they are not done by Andrea Bocelli. Quite simply, his singularly exquisite voice produces a Verdi collection that is all his and provides transcendent moments of beauty. Admittedly, this is a voice in progress, and even I, who am about as devoted a fan as you will find, realize there are a few rough spots. (In fairness though, you should know that, personally, I even find the rough spots endearing.) In my opinion they are cancelled out by the pleasure to be had when he really gets it right, and that is way more than half the time.

For those of you who only know Andrea from "Con te Partiro," go ahead and give this CD a chance. I would be stunned if you aren't enchanted with Verdi's music. For those fans who have been lead to explore opera because of Andrea's other CDs ("Viaggio Italiano," "Aria," and "Sacred Arias"), this will take you a step further and introduce Verdi to you in a way that will keep you more than happy and serene in even the worst of traffic jams. For those more serious opera fans of long-standing who buy multiple versions of single performances and know at what time of day and what year Callas hit a high C, buy this for the extraordinary and rarely done diminuendo on the final note of "Celeste Aida," or for the achingly beautiful rendition of "La vita e'inferno" from La Forza del Destino, or just to hear if he really does nail the stunning B flat at the end of "Possente Amor mi Chiama" . . . .For those of you who seize every opportunity to bash Andrea Bocelli and will never give him a fair hearing. . .who cares.